Feature:
This game will feature two of the premier RBs from the 2008 draft class going head to head. Both backs were taken outside of the 1st round as Rice went in the 2nd to Baltimore and Charles went in the 3rd to the Chiefs.

These two teams have played each other two times since the selection of both backs. In the first game the Ravens defense gave up only 37 yds on 8 touches in week 1 of 2009. The second game of course came in the playoffs in 2010. Charles went off for 97 yards on 10 touches, 1 TD, 1 FUM lost (Ngata). On the flipside of the coin Ray Rice in 09' contributed 120 yds on 21 touches and 99 yds, 1 TD on 22 touches.

Going into this game, both backs are averaging over 5 yds per carry, Charles leading Rice in yds/game with Rice leading in TDs/game. Both opposing defenses have regressed this season against the run to this point so this game could offer a big statement to either defense. The Ravens are currently 11th in rushing yds/game (94.5) and the Chiefs are 23rd (122.7).. though in YPC the Ravens field a top 5 unit while the Chiefs are a bottom 5 unit. In the end, Charles might not even be the back on his team to give the Ravens defense it's biggest fit, but rather Peyton Hillis.

Purple Keys to the Game:1. Stop the Run- Can you believe that this game features the #1 and #4 offenses (yds/game) in the NFL? The Chiefs #1 ranking is mostly due to their ability to run the football. The Ravens defense came out of the gates struggling but has since improved with McClellan and Upshaw becoming more developed defenders against the run, as well as the improvements we've seen from Dannell Ellerbe this season. The defense will have to continue it's recent string of performances and shut down the KC grown game. Take that away and it's unlikely that their offense can keep pace.

2. Run the football- Cam Cameron has picked times like these and games like these in the past to try and assert the passing attack to try and "fool" teams... he often ends up overthinking himself out of what should be the gameplan. This is simple. The Chiefs are a bottom 5 team in YPC, the Ravens are 7th in YPC... logic would therefore lead one assume that carrying the football should work big time in this game. This game should be all about showcasing Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce... and then conversely taking some deep bombs off play action, once the defense is overly concerned with the running game. Sure the Chiefs passing average isn't the best, but that unit still have playmakers back there that you have to be concerned about. We should avoid the temptation to try and show off our passing attack... and simply come out of this game with a nice physical football win.

3. Protect Cary- Let's not act like a pick 6 is all of sudden going to make teams stop trying to pick on Cary Williams. This guy is going to have to improve his ball skills and get his head around faster on passes or he's going to keep seeing himself picked apart. I think it's clear that we need to put him in press coverage more often than not (where he's most comfortable) and put some safety help over top in situations where he's battling some speed/a guy that runs his fair share of deep routes. We have to scheme towards his strengths as opposed to keep allowing him to be exposed in this manner as it could bite us in the butt against an inferior team that stays in the game because of the momentum they gain from targeting Williams and getting first downs.

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Jedi Knights of the day:1. Justin Tucker- Tucker started the season off hot. His last two kicks have been shaky, but this game against the Chiefs should be the perfect opportunity for him to rebuild his confidence. With the Chiefs being so poor in their yards per play averages as well as having an offense that has turned the ball over a few times, this could be a game where our offense sees a lot of opportunities to score... and that should in turn lead Tucker with a lot of opportunities to score, if our offense doesn't finish with touchdowns. This game should be a confidence builder, who said Stella was the only one to get her groove back?

2. Jimmy Smith- We know that Cary Williams is going to be targeted... and any half intelligent QB isn't going to target Webb much... so that leaves Jimmy Smith. The Chiefs are at home and that will be a tough thing to handle, but if the Chiefs go down early, Cassell is going to be forced to throw and he hasn't always proven to be the best decision maker. Smith could benefit from Cassell challenging his coverage. One of these days, QBs will throw Smith's way more... and Smith is going to backup my claim of a multi-interception game... I think this is that game... again....

3. Ed Dickson- Dickson hasn't started off this season doing very much. But the Chiefs have nice corners... and you can bet that the Chiefs will be diverting extra attention to stopping Pitta.. that should successfully leave Dickson with some opportunities to have a big game here. I think he could have a 100 yd game here successfully set up by one of those drives where Flacco just seems to abuse whoever is trying to guard his pass catcher multiple times on a drive (like with Boldin against the Browns).

Sith Lord's to Avoid:1. Jamaal Charles- Dude is a big play threat. He's the most explosive playmaker on the Chiefs team. He's the best chance the Chiefs have of producing enough explosive ability to beat our defense.

2. Jon Baldwin- As the case with Charles, Baldwin is an explosive option for the Chiefs. He's an X-factor. He doesn't always play big time, but he has the potential to do it. If he steps up, it makes the Chiefs a much harder out in this one.

3. Eric Berry- Flacco has proven on multiple occasions that he's just going to force passes into Pitta and trust him to make a play. Well Eric Berry is the type of talent that can make Flacco pay. If Joe is smart, he'll try and keep an eye out for where Berry is operating... and operate somewhere else.

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Injury Report:BAL RAVENSLIMITED PRACTICEThursday
TBD

KC ChiefsDNPThursday
TBD

LPThursday
TBD

Do the coaches fail with so much time to gameplan? Do we win? Thoughts..._________________

Last edited by diamondbull424 on Tue Oct 09, 2012 11:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

Arrowhead stadium is a tough place to play. The crowd in there is deafening. I went to the playoff game 2011 and I believe that stadium gets even louder then M&T Bank!

We will have to score early and often to quiet the crowd down. Even field goals will help as long as we have a two score lead. We'll also have to get the ball out of Flacco's hands early or else Hali and Houston will have a field day. The no huddle would greatly slow down the Chief's pass rushers, but can we run it on the road efficiently? If the Philadelphia game is any indication, then the answer may be no.

On defense, gap integrity will be key. Jamal Charles is a huge threat. He's going to run the ball and he's going to gain yards. If the defense can stay disciplined we should be able to eliminate the huge plays that Charles is capable of. The bend but don't break strategy is unusual for us, but it will work as long as the offense does its job.

Honestly I can see this game going either way, but I'm cautiously optimistic the Ravens pull out the win._________________

Last edited by Integrity on Sat Sep 29, 2012 1:16 pm; edited 1 time in total

The only way I see this going the "other" way is if the Ravens come into this game with the same intensity they brought to the Browns game. If they come out and play the Chiefs with the intensity that they bring to the "big" games like against the Eagles, Pats... or teams they respect... then they should win this one by 2 scores.. even considering Arrowhead simply because if we shutdown the Chiefs run, I don't think Cassell is good enough to keep up with Flacco, even if he's not in a no-huddle.

We're also usually incredibly tough to beat on games where the team has a long week to prepare. So I have to believe that our coaches will come out with a tough gameplan. I'm just concerned with whether or not the players will be able to motivate themselves for this one- play with passion.

I'm not sure what to expect from this Chiefs team. I'll wait until it gets closer to the actual game before I make any predictions but I will say this could be a tough one for the Ravens. I'm a fan of what the Chiefs are doing (except at QB).

I'm actually more nervous about this game than the Patriots game to be honest -- and that nervous feeling is more in regards to our defense. We need to shut down Charles and force Cassel to throw the ball -- but we've seen that our pass defense hasn't been good at all, and they certainly have some guys with size in Bowe and Baldwin.

Offensively, I think we can likely run it a lot against them, and hopefully get some big plays down field, but Hali/Houston scare me against our tackles. '

Well we honestly better not attempt to throw the ball in this game. I don't think we'll do well since our best WR is simply an above average wafer... and our other WRs are even worse than him. So we probably should just forfeit this matchup. Probably the best way to go here... save ourselves the impending embarrassment. We better hope Ray Rice has a historic game to carry our offense or Flacco can make due with what he has to work with out there._________________

Well we honestly better not attempt to throw the ball in this game. I don't think we'll do well since our best WR is simply an above average wafer... and our other WRs are even worse than him. So we probably should just forfeit this matchup. Probably the best way to go here... save ourselves the impending embarrassment. We better hope Ray Rice has a historic game to carry our offense or Flacco can make due with what he has to work with out there.

Don't know how we're gonna do against the leagues most talented team._________________

I'm actually a bit worried too about how our Tackles will do against the duo of Hali/Houston. I think our best bet is to go no huddle early and often and let Ray Rice feed off the fact that the Chiefs are focusing on the pass rather than the run. I fear that if we slow the tempo of the game down we're going to get feasted on by their passrush.

I'm not overly worried about their offence though. I trust our corners to contain Baldwin/Bowe and keep Charles in check as well. While our defense in general has been poor, the rush defense has actually done pretty well. Hopefully KC will try to run throughout the game rather than giving up on it early, even if we shut it down. I just don't trust our passrush to being able to limit Cassel, or anyone for that matter, in a shootout._________________

While there are a few aspects of this game that worry me significantly (Hali/Houston vs Oher/KO, Cary Williams vs Baldwin/Bowe, our pass rush), we're normally a pretty good team coming off a bye and the 10 day break between TNF and the Chiefs game is basically a bye so I think we still pull out the W._________________Stone85 & mike23md on the sig!